No. Really. My grandpa used to collect them. But I ignore them. Ask anyone who knows me at all. When it comes to time management, I’m the worst they’ve ever met. If I’m supposed to be somewhere in five minutes, it usually means I still need to look for my phone, finish reading whatever I was reading, get the kids dressed, brush my teeth, look for my keys, put the kids in the car, go back inside the house to find my phone, and then I will be on my way. It still hasn’t sunk in yet—all of that might take longer than five minutes.

In my daily fight against the clock, there’s a couple of things I’ve learned:

Time is moving. I can’t stop it. I can’t trick it. I can’t manipulate, cajole, or woo it to change. Time moves at it’s own pace regardless of my schedule or my priorities.

There may be no better example of how time moves than watching my kids grow up. This past year, my daughter turned two. That may not sound like a big deal to you. But I promise you, she was born yesterday. It’s like in the “five minutes” it took me to get out of the house for the day, she learned to talk, walk, and play dress-up. For some reason, her birthday hit me in a new way.

I can remember thinking “this is the last day I will ever know Ryann as a one-year-old. Soon, she will be two.” And I wondered, “Did we do everything we should have in this season of her life?”

Do you have those moments, too? It’s when the panic sets in.

Most of the time, I’m not thinking about how fast she is growing. But then, something happens like a birthday or potty training. . . And then there’s that moment of panic. What if I missed a step?

That’s why I love Psalm 90:12. “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Psalm 90:12

Actually, I’m not really sure what “to number your days” really means. It sounds a little fatalistic. But I do know that as parents, we have a limited number of days to influence our children before they grow up, move out, and become adults.

But that doesn’t have to make us panic. When we number the days, it can actually help us relax—because we know the number of days. We can pay attention. We don’t have to wait and feel surprised when they turn eight, and twelve, and fifteen and twenty-two. We see it coming and trust that the investments we make today are having a lasting impact.

So this week – relax.

You don’t have to make the most of every minute with your kid. You can’t. It’s just not possible. And if you try, it might drive you and everyone around you crazy.

But you can make the most of each week. By showing up in their world and being present, you are creating history with them. You are making memories that will lay a foundation for their future.

By being present this week, you are reminding them they have value, they are a unique individual, they belong and have purpose. You are making small investments that will add up over time because TIME has a cumulative effect.

So keep doing what you are doing.

The clock is ticking, but the good news is that TIME may be the best platform you have for investing in the life of your son or daughter. What you do this week matters.